Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova has become somewhat of an Internet sensation for her shockingly thin frame and doll-like appearance. Dubbed the "Human Barbie," the 28-year-old strives to look like the popular Mattel doll.
In the past, Lukyanova denied that she has underwent any type of cosmetic procedure to maintain her look but a new report claims she has converted to "Breatharianism" in order to achieve her tiny physique, the Daily Mail reports.
"In recent weeks I have not been hungry at all; I'm hoping it's the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone," she reportedly said.
"Breatharians" believe people can survive without ever eating food or water and thrive on just light and air. The practice has been heavily criticized. According to the Daily Mail, several "Breatharians" have died of starvation and none have allowed any "comprehensive medical testing" to be performed.
Back in June, the Daily News did a story on a Seattle woman who wanted to become a "Breatharian" for five weeks in an attempt to see if she could survive on only water and light. Naveena Shine, 65, told the site that the experiment was "tied to her New Age beliefs about the universe."
"Plants live on light, then we eat plants," she wrote on her Facebook page, the Daily News reports. "Are we simply not accessing out inherent ability to live on light?... After hearing of the possibility that this might be true, I received a 'calling' from within, from the Universe, to find out if it is so."
"Can you imagine, if we did not have to eat, just how free our lives would be?" she continued on a blog describing her experience with "Breatharianism."
"A vast amount of time, effort and resources go into merely putting food on the table. If humans did not have to eat, we could turn our planet back into a place of beauty," she added.
Shine was adamant that practice should not be looked at as a diet - she did lose 30 pounds during those five weeks - because a person would gain the weight back as soon as they began eating again. She also described side effects from not eating which included dizziness, frozen hands and throwing up bile.
Shine said during her experiment she couldn't walk on the treadmill for more than 20 minutes without needing a nap.
It's not clear why Lukyanova decided to become a "Breatharian" but she has said in the past that having a doll-like appearance was her ideal of true perfection and beauty.
